The Never Ending Line
by rossandrachelforever
Summary: Rachel recounts the story of the meeting with her soulmate to her granddaughter, many years after his death.
1. Default Chapter

The Never Ending Line  
  
She lit a cigarette with her shriveled, wrinkled fingers, and took a long, deep puff. The light from the fireplace cast gloomy shadows over her long and tired face. I looked up at her eagerly, waiting to hear another long and interesting story from her time. She looked back at me with a familiar sparkle in her eye. She smiled faintly and leaned over to tap the ash from her cigarette into her ash tray.  
"What kind of story would you like to hear?" She asked me with her hushed and dried voice.  
"How did you meet grandpa?" I asked curiously.  
She looked thoughtful for a second, as if she didn't want to tell me.  
"I mean, I want to know something about him, since he died long before I was born." I said quickly and persuasively.  
"You mean your father has never told you?" She asked me.  
"No. He never talks about that stuff. I guess since he didn't know him, he doesn't feel like he should talk about it." I answered.  
"Very well." She nodded. "It all began years ago, before you were born, and before your father was born…"  
  
She sat in the cabin, on her bed, watching through her window as the many passengers got off, and embarked upon their long journey across the land, by train. Her last train roommate had just gotten off, and she was hoping that she would get one that didn't snore all night long. She sat with her legs huddled against her body, as if trying to keep warm. She had been on this train for almost a month now. Travelling around all of North America. Living her dream. Her room had two cots in it, a small bathroom, and an even smaller closet. Her suitcase was pushed under her bed, to provide room to walk. Every day, she made several trips up and down the train, and she made sure that she got off at a few stops to take a break from the train. Although the breaks were never more then 3 hours, while the engineer went to stretch his legs out and eat, she enjoyed seeing the world. She heard the door slam, and turned around to face her new roommate. She was surprised to see that it was a man.   
"Hi." The man said fidgeting. "Is this the right room?"  
"What room do you have?" She asked him.  
"Room 509." He replied.  
"This is that." She said timidly.  
"Okay then... Hi, I'm Ross." He smiled as he reached out to shake her hand.  
"I'm Rachel." She answered shaking his hand.  
"So... This is awkward." Ross said   
"Yeah, I've never had to share a room with a guy so far this trip!" Rachel answered.  
"Really? How long have you been on?"   
"For almost a month."  
"Wow! Where are you headed?" Ross asked putting his stuff down on his bed which was right next to Rachel's.  
"Around North America. Maybe even South! Who knows?" She answered laughing.  
"Adventurous. I love that in a woman." Ross said smiling.  
Rachel coughed and cleared her throat. "So, what brings you on this trip?"  
"I'm going to see my fiancée in Bakersfield." Ross answered with a touch of resentment in his voice.  
Rachel noticed, "Why is that bad?"   
"Well, I love her, but we went into this too hastily. I mean, I live in Manhattan, and she lives on the other side of the country."  
"Oh I see." Was all that Rachel could respond with.  
The train started to pull away from the station, and they watched it disappear into the blue sky, and rolling hills.  
"I love watching the land go by. It's just, so..." Rachel tried to find the right word to describe it.  
"Fulfilling? Beautiful?" Ross said filling in for her.  
"Yeah." Rachel sighed dreamily.  
"So, is this your passion? Travelling?" Ross asked  
"Yeah, I've always wanted to see the whole world. I love it."  
"Are you married?" Ross asked.  
"No."  
"Engaged?"  
"No."  
"Boyfriend?"  
"No."  
"Wow, you're very pretty. I thought that you would've been taken." Ross said shyly.  
"No. I do have a son though." Rachel said. "I'm not a very good parent. He lives with his father in Manhattan too."  
"Really? I'm sorry to hear that. How old is she?" Ross asked trying not to pry too deeply.  
"6 years old. He's a he. Aaron." She said softly, thinking of her son.  
"Are you okay?" Ross asked touching her shoulder.  
"Yeah" she said smiling up at him. "I wish that I could be a good parent."  
"You can! You just have to try really hard."  
"I do! It's just that whenever I start getting too close, I freak out, and back out. I'm afraid that if I get too close to someone, they'll die." She whispered.  
"What do you mean?" Ross questioned.  
"Well, about 8 years ago, me and my boyfriend were very much in love. I got too close, and he died in a car accident. It took me a few years to recover, but I have never, and don't think I ever will, fully recover." Rachel said morosely.  
"I'm sorry to hear that." Ross said, touching her arm.  
Rachel looked up at him and smiled with tears in her eyes. "You don't have to be. My life has been filled with one-night stands ever since him. All of those one-night stands resulted as Aaron."  
Ross smiled back at her, encouraging her to continue opening up to him. They would both be together on that train for about 2 more weeks. They might as well make the most of it.  
Over the course of the next week, they bonded a lot. They went to dinners together, they slept beside each other, and told each other stories about their pasts. One night while they were returning from dinner, Rachel stumbled across a vent, fell, and hurt her ankle.  
"Geez! Are you alright?" Ross asked picking her up.  
"Owowowowowow!" Rachel said half laughing.  
"Does it hurt?"   
"Yeah." Rachel said trying to take a step, but unable to.  
"Here, let me carry you." Ross said scooping her up.  
A passing lady stopped to watch them, and laughed.  
"You two make the cutest couple. How long have you been together?" The lady asked curiously  
"Actually," Ross started.  
"13 years!" Rachel said as she laughed. The lady chuckled, and kept moving on, giving them privacy.  
"13 years eh?" Ross laughed along. "You can take me that long?"  
"I can take you forever!" Rachel joked, then realizing that it was the truth.  
There was an uncomfortable silence, as Ross put her down on the ground and looked at her thoughtfully.  
"What's wrong?" Rachel asked quietly, hiding from the truth.  
"Nothing. I-I just, I don't know actually." Ross laughed, lightening the atmosphere   
Rachel smiled, as she hopped over to the door, opened it and sat down on the bed.  
"Ow." She muttered as she grasped her swollen ankle in her hand.  
Ross leaned down and gently massaged the area around it, before he got up to get some ice. Rachel smiled down gratefully at him. He looked up at her, and gazed intently into her eyes, afraid of losing her if he let go.   
Suddenly Rachel jumped up, avoiding his gaze "I need some ice."  
"Wait right here. I'll get you some." He said as he jumped up and went right past her out the door.  
She sat back down on her bed, and rested her throbbing head into her arms. Whenever she was around him, she got this vibe from him, as if they had been best friends all of their lives. She wished that he wasn't getting married, but at the same time, she never would have met him if he hadn't been engaged.  
When Ross came back with her ice, she was already fast asleep, so he tied the ice to her ankle with a towel, and lay down to rest beside her.  
The next day, Rachel felt herself distancing herself from Ross. She wasn't talking to him as much, avoiding laughing at his jokes, and evading his stare.  
"What's wrong?" Ross asked as he realized that his seventh joke had bombed.  
"I don't understand something." Rachel said looking through the window up at the sky.  
"What?" Ross asked quietly.  
"You're leaving tomorrow." Rachel said dismally.  
"What don't you understand?"  
"How I can like you so much after a week." She said looking at him. "I have to distance myself, otherwise, you leaving will be really hard."  
"We can still keep in touch with letters, and e-mails and visits and stuff."  
"Yeah, but is that really enough?"  
"I honestly don't know." Ross answered confused.  
"Exactly." She answered in a sure tone of voice.  
"Well, I think... that we should make the most of our time together."   
"Yeah?" Rachel asked curiously. "What do you want to do?"  
"I was thinking about maybe going dancing..." Ross said twirling himself around the room, making Rachel laugh. The tension was suddenly gone, and they both got up to get some breakfast.  
The next day, hours before daybreak, before Ross's stop came up, he was already sitting up on his bed, watching Rachel sleep. He was trying to make a decision.  
Rachel woke up a half an hour later, to see Ross staring at her thoughtfully.  
"Mmm, hi." Rachel said sleepily as she turned over in bed.   
"Hey." Ross said distantly.  
"How long before Bakersfield?" Rachel asked  
"About two hours."  
"Well, don't think that I'm a prude or a bitch or anything, but I'd rather say goodbye to you now so that it's not so hard." Rachel said her eyes clouding over.  
"I understand" Ross said as he got up and walked over to her. He put his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "You have my address, my phone number, my e-mail, and I have yours."   
"Yeah." Rachel answered as she hugged him and breathed in the familiar scent.  
"I'll miss you."  
"I know." Rachel responded with a teary laugh.   
"I'll come back later." Ross said as he exited.  
Once he was gone, the tears began to flow. She had done it again. She had gotten too close to him, and now he was leaving. She got into bed and pulled the covers over her head, checking her watch. 6:15. They were due to arrive at Bakersfield at 8. She hoped that he would be gone when she woke up.  
At 8:05 Ross watched as the train pulled up to his stop. Bakersfield looked like a nice place, not too big, not too small. He watched the little bundle under the cover, and he wanted more then anything to go over there, and uncover Rachel, and say goodbye once more. This was it. It was either Rachel, who he had known for only over a week, or Gabriella, his fiancée, and girlfriend of two years. The train pulled to a stop, and Ross set his bags down, as he walked over to the window and stared at Gabriella. She was standing with her arms wrapped tightly around herself as the wind blew her long black hair around her face. This was it. It was time to decide.  
  
Thanks for Reading, and as usual, please leave a review and offer suggestions, or just leave a comment. Reviews offer lots of inspiration!  
rossandrachelforever 


	2. Part 2

Her face was pale, and her lips were red. She was eagerly awaiting Ross's arrival, but Ross sat down, and put his hand to his aching head. He heard the warning bell signal that they would soon be pulling away from the station. He continued to sit as the train signaled the door closing. He watched as the train started to slightly pull away from the station. He saw Gabriella's confused face, and he suddenly felt really guilty. He didn't know what he was doing, it just felt right. He sat watching the bundle under the covers and the window, as Bakersfield slowly disappeared over the rolling hills. Rachel moved, and lifted the covers from her head. She screamed when she saw Ross sitting in the corner, and glanced at her watch.   
"It's 9:00! Shouldn't we have already been there?" She asked  
"We already passed." Ross smiled slightly.  
"You didn't go?" Rachel said trying to hide her excitement.  
"No. I think I love you." Ross said as he sat down beside Rachel.  
She smiled and leaned over and kissed him.  
"Now I know that this was definitely worth it." Ross panted, out of breath.  
Rachel wiped a fleck of dirt away from his chin with her thumb, and looked at him with tears in her eyes.  
"What about Gabriella?"  
"I don't love her. I have to tell her." Ross moaned.  
"I suppose you do."  
"So, where are we headed?" Ross asked.  
"I don't know." Rachel paused. "Where are we going?"  
"Where were you going?"   
"I was just going to get off at whatever looked good." Rachel answered  
"I love that. I would never be able to just pick up my stuff and go anywhere." Ross said admiringly, as Rachel blushed.  
"How about San Francisco?" Rachel asked. "It's not too far, and it's so beautiful there."  
"Really? Then San Francisco it is." Ross smiled as he kissed Rachel again, and they fell onto the bed.  
  
6 months later  
  
Rachel came down the stairs of their small urban house, not far from Fisherman's Wharf, and the Coit tower.  
"Hey baby." Ross said as he kissed her lovingly, and rubbed her pregnant stomach. "It's getting there."  
"What?" Rachel asked.  
"You're getting bigger everyday." Ross whispered.   
"I'm scared." Rachel whispered back in his ear, nervously twisting a ring on her finger.  
"About what? You have nothing to be afraid of. I'm gonna be here every step of the way. You know that." He smiled as he kissed her ear.   
"I have the best fiancé in the world." Rachel whispered.  
"I know. I can't believe we're getting married in 7 months. 6 months ago I was supposed to marry someone else." Ross said incredulously.  
"I know." Rachel hugged him closely.   
"I love you so much, you know." Ross said.   
"I know. I love you too." Rachel smiled at him. He kissed her passionately, and before she knew it, they were making their way blindly into their bedroom, while their lips stayed glued together. What followed was the best thing Rachel or Ross had ever experienced. It was ecstasy.  
Later that evening while Rachel lay asleep in his arms, he stayed up watching her breath in and out. It's funny how the little things can mean so much. He felt that with every single breath she took, he was falling even more madly in love with her. He found it impossible to believe how much room he had for love for this particular person. He hadn't had time to grieve over the loss of Gabriella, he had been too busy falling in love with someone else. He breathed in the scent of her hair, and hugged her closer towards his body. The phone suddenly rang from beside him, and Rachel groaned at the noise that had disturbed her from a peaceful sleep.   
"Hello?" Ross said as he picked it up.  
"Ross?" A mans voice asked.  
"Hey Marty." Ross said, as he mouthed to Rachel "it's my boss."  
"Hey Ross. Listen, we're having an urgent meeting in a half an hour. We absolutely need you to be here." He said.   
Ross groaned lightly. "What time is it?"  
"It's only 7:00." Marty said.  
"Alright, I'm coming." Ross said as he hung up the phone. "I have to go to work." He said to Rachel.  
"Work? Now?" Rachel asked, she was confused.  
"Yeah, I'll only be a bit though. I expect you to be up when I get home. " Ross said coyly. He leaned over and kissed her before he got up to get dressed quickly.  
"I'll walk you out." Rachel said as she also got up to get dressed.  
She walked him to the door and kissed him good bye.  
"Hurry home." She smiled.  
"Will do." He smiled back and picked up his keys. He ran out the door and over to his car, which stood on the opposite side of the street.  
Rachel followed him out onto the veranda and waved at him.  
Suddenly, a car came whizzing around the corner, it's bright white headlights blinding Rachel, as she shielded her eyes.  
"ROSS LOOK OUT!" She shrieked loudly. He looked up at her, shielding his eyes, right before he was hit.  
Rachel screamed loudly, bringing out all of her neighbours.   
"ROSS!" She continued to scream as he was thrown up into the air. "ROSS!!!"   
She ran out to the center of the road where he lay twitching on the ground, his face and clothes drenched in blood that was seeping out of a wound on his temple. His leg lay at an odd angle, and his arm lay splattered stiffly beside him.  
"Ross, honey!" Rachel yelled at him as she hugged his body close to hers, soaking herself in his warm sticky blood. "Ross… please say something." She cried mercilessly. "Ross! Please!" She screamed as a sob caught in her throat. The car that had hit him had pulled over, and the man that had been driving ran over to assist her.   
"Jesus!" He yelled as he smacked himself on the head.  
Rachel threw herself at him, and began hitting and punching and scratching with all her might.  
"YOU DID THIS YOU BASTARD!" She screamed at him as she continued to scratch his face. Before she knew it, she was surrounded with blinking lights as the police and ambulances began to arrive. They pulled her off of the man with great force, and held her to the side. The paramedics ran to Ross's side, who had by now stopped twitching. Rachel pushed them aside and hugged him close to her protectively.  
"Ma'am? We need to get to him if you want us to save him! Please move!" A paramedic shouted at her.  
"I love you, please don't leave me. This can't happen. I love you so much. Are you just going to leave me and Mark all alone here? Are you going to die on me just like my last boyfriend? Ross…" Rachel cried hysterically into his ear as she buried her face in his shoulder.  
"ARE YOU GOING TO LEAVE ME ALL ALONE? YOU PROMISED YOU WOULD NEVER LEAVE ME!" Rachel screamed at the top of her lungs as the police dragged her away, so that they could take care of Ross. They picked him up and lay his body out on a stretcher.   
"He's gone." A paramedic whispered silently. "He's dead."  
"NO" Rachel screamed at the top of her lungs, as she collapsed to her knees and held her stomach. She cried harder then she ever had before. Her whole body racked over with sobs, and she fainted into flashing lights.  
  
"He left me that night, even though he promised he would never." Rachel said as she lit another cigarette with her old bony fingers. "I was left all alone to raise your father. I told myself not to get too close, but Ross was so irresistible, he made it impossible not to fall in love with him. It was just like a night almost 9 years before, when the first man I had ever loved, died. But Ross was a much greater man than he ever was. I loved him more than you could imagine. Every day while Mark grew up, I noticed him becoming more and more like his father. Sometimes it made me laugh, other times it hurt so much that I would cry. I thought it was fate, that it had to be God that brought us together, but when God took him away from me, I wanted to die. But I had to live, I had to live for Mark. He was my whole life, he would become my everything. It still hurts every day to know how happy we could have been, I would have gotten to love him so much more. But I know that he's up there, watching over Mark and me. He hasn't missed anything. I know that he's watching over me every day. My old aching bones won't hold me much longer, and I know that someday soon, I will be with him. We will be together, once again."  
  
Thanks for reading, and please leave a review!   
rossandrachelforever 


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